Photo: Lightning bolts usher in thunderstorm season

Published 9:12 am, Friday, May 11, 2018

James Holl took this photo from his Harbor Point apartment in Stamford as a strong line of thunderstorms passed through southwest Connecticut on Thursday, May 10, 2018,

James Holl took this photo from his Harbor Point apartment in Stamford as a strong line of thunderstorms passed through southwest Connecticut on Thursday, May 10, 2018,

Photo: Photo Courtesy Of James Holl

Photo: Lightning bolts usher in thunderstorm season

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A strong line of storms sparked by a cold front, shook up parts of western Connecticut Thursday night with booming thunder and bolts of lightning.

It marked the beginning of the thunderstorm season that on average peaks on between July 7-13 across the Northeast.

A photo shared by James Holl captured bolts of lightning over Harbor Point Thursday evening.

The thunderstorms roared through southwest Connecticut between 8:30 and 9 p.m.

The National Weather Service says a quarter inch of rain fell at White Plains Airport near Greenwich. In a matter of minutes, visibility at the airport was reduced from 10 to 1.5 miles, according to NWS data.

Thunderstorms with light rain were also reported in Danbury and Oxford.

Observers with Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network reported varying amount of rain from the line of storms.

Brookfield saw .38 of an inch, Darien and Milford with .18 of an inch and .14 of an inch in New Canaan and Newtown.

Areas in northwest New Jersey were under a severe thunderstorm watch.

There were also reports of a funnel cloud, south of Albany in Canaan, N.Y.

The front ushered in cooler temperatures and much lower humidity.

Despite their size, the NWS says all thunderstorms are dangerous. Every thunderstorm produces lightning, which kill about 93 people each year in the United States.

It says the typical storm is 15 miles in diameter and lasts an average of 30 minutes. Nearly 1,800 thunderstorms are occurring at any time around the world.